Under the Mistletoe
by Momma2Leos
Summary: SUBMISSION FOR NAUGHTY OR NICE CONTEST 2009 Sookie and Eric have moved past the tragic events of the Fae War. It is Christmas and in the midst of tradition and merriment, will an ancient legend give the couple a very unexpected gift?


**Naughty or Nice Contest**

**Title: Under the Mistletoe**

**Your Pen name: Momma2Leos**

**Beta'd by: VampLover1, who is probably the most patient person in the world. She Rocks!!**

**Disclaimer: All of the characters in my story belong to the talented Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Although if a certain Viking found himself running through my neck of the woods, I believe that accommodations could be made for him.**

Sookie stood looking out the window in the kitchen of the home that she had inherited from her grandmother, Adele Hale Stackhouse. She was rather impatiently watching the last rays of sun leave the sky. Sookie is a barmaid from Bon Temps, Louisiana; she also happens to be telepathic and the bonded of a certain Vampire Sheriff of Area 5. It was nearly Christmas, and as she was busy getting her home ready for the holidays, she couldn't help but feel elated at the mere thought of the Viking who now dominated her heart. They were together at last. Even a few months ago, she was uncertain about where they were headed. He wasn't there the night when Thing One and Thing Two nearly killed her in the abandoned house somewhere in Arkansas. He promised to explain, and he did.

On the night of the Fae war, Eric was at his bar _Fangtasia _in Shreveport, meeting with Felipe de Castro, the vampire king of Louisiana, Arkansas and Nevada. De Castro's right hand vampire, Victor Madden, had urged the king to call a meeting with the sheriff. Madden accused Eric's bonded of being gifted with something other than simple telepathy and that Eric was holding out on his king. He wanted de Castro to forcefully take Sookie from Eric. Madden knew that loyalty or not, Eric would never stand for this and would attack. If Eric killed de Castro, Madden need only to flee and that was one thorn removed from his side. On the other hand, were Eric killed, that would be almost as good.

Eric had to use every weapon in his arsenal short of starting a full-out war in order to protect Sookie that night. During the conversation he could feel that Sookie was in danger, but he could not leave. He sent a message to Pam, his child, and Pam sent one to Bill. Bill Compton, Sookie's ex-lover, was not among Eric's favorite "people," but he knew that the young vampire loved Sookie and would aid her in any way necessary. Finally, the king chose to believe Eric. He dismissed Madden's claim and the two left the bar. Eric hurried to the parking lot, preparing to take flight when he collapsed violently to the ground. Through the bond, Eric had felt Sookie's growing fear. But as he hit the pavement he looked down and saw a deep gash in his leg. The wound bled briefly and healed. The cuts continued to arise on his body, slashing and healing. Eric could feel both the pain of the wounds on his own body and Sookie's pain through the blood bond. He was completely incapacitated. He could not remain standing, much less take to the air. The torture seemed to continue forever, and then it stopped.

When he finally saw his bonded at the Supe hospital, he nearly cried at the sight of her. But he did not, telling himself that he must be strong so that Sookie could be strong. She did not understand why he did not come for her, though she begged and pleaded. He had heard every call and felt every strike and slash the sadistic faeries had delivered to her. Ever practical, he insisted that he would explain everything later. And he did. It has taken months for their lives to achieve some sense of normalcy. The events of that night were long behind them, but the scars-- emotionally for them both and physically for his Sookie-- had yet to fade away.

She knew when Eric had arrived. In spite of herself, she felt elation at his presence; whether it was the blood bond or her own stubborn heart screaming "_MINE,_" Sookie did not care. He was there, she could breathe now.

_~Sookie ~_

I had been getting ready for Christmas all day. My roommate, Amelia, and I had gone shopping for ornaments that very day and come home to make a gingerbread house. It would never grace the cover of _Southern Living,_ but we thought that the overall effect was a good one. Amelia had driven to Shreveport to go to the mall for some last minute Christmas shopping and to see Pam at the vampire bar _Fangtasia _once the sun had gone down and the doors were open. She was good at getting out on nights when she knew Eric would be coming over. I was looking out of my kitchen window after I finished the enormous load of dishes that we had accumulated during our baking project, patiently waiting for my Viking to appear. Tonight he was coming to help me with some more Christmas decorations and to attend to… other very important needs of mine.

I thought about not going through the Stackhouse tradition of tree trimming and a big meal. I was still coming back to normal since the Fae war, was barely on speaking terms with my brother Jason, and didn't really need to spend money unnecessarily; but Eric had insisted that I go through with it. He even volunteered to help. So tonight we were going into the woods around my house to search for a tree.

What was the phrase, "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear"? Well, I wasn't technically speaking of him but thinking of him, and he was surely there. I felt his long, graceful fingers stroke the hair from my neck and his cool lips graze my skin. That was the only thing in that kitchen that was cool at that moment, I can promise you.

"Lover, you smell sweeter than usual. I can taste sugar on your skin," he whispered into my ear, the slightest trace of his ancient accent hanging on each word.

"Amelia and I have been baking all day. See our gingerbread house?" I proudly showed him the confection on the table.

"That is… nice," he said, the trace of a smirk on his perfect mouth.

"Nice? I know it's not perfect, but we worked hard on it. And I think it's perfectly lovely," I stubbornly interjected, tears springing to my eyes.

"I only said 'nice' because that is what I thought you wanted me to say, lover." He was next to me in a heartbeat. "Is that not a proper description for your masterpiece?"

I had my face turned away from him. I smiled inwardly at 'masterpiece'; I knew then that I was not angry at him. However, I had no intention of letting him know that, verbally at least. I knew the damned blood bond would tell him anyway.

High-handed as always and noticing the change in my feelings instantly, he responded, "See, you have already forgiven me."

I melted into his embrace and lifted my head for a kiss. I was rewarded by one of his patented flaming kisses, the ones that left me literally weak in the knees and gasping for breath.

"You do that again, and we will never get a tree tonight," I told him with my lips just barely removed from his.

"Sookie, I could go into the woods and be back in moments—with a tree. But I believe that you requested that we go together. Have you changed your mind? Should I run for a tree and meet you in your bedroom in about five minutes?" he asked me as he raised his eyebrows, suggestively. I almost—almost-- agreed and challenged him to a race to my bedroom. Ha, ha, ha. I wonder who would win that one!

"You're right. I will quit trying to seduce you, innocent Viking. Let's go get a tree," I told him, walking resolutely to the door to grab the cranberry-colored coat that the very same Viking had gifted me. I could feel his disappointment through the bond. He had been sure that I would forget the tree, and we would go to the bedroom to ring in the holidays differently. I felt him help me put the coat on and felt compelled to kiss the little wound to his ego that I had caused.

"I promise that I will make it up you in just a little while."

I stood on my tip toes to kiss the pale cheek and look into his beautiful blue eyes. He lit up at the prospect of later, and we were out. Before we left the porch, I remembered the poinsettia that I had purchased while Amelia and I were out earlier. It was for my neighbor and former lover, Bill Compton, who lived just beyond the cemetery behind my house. Our friendship was definitely stronger than it had been before, and I wanted to give him something for Christmas. With my great-grandfather Niall, Bill had almost met his final death while rescuing me from my Fae torturers in Eric's forced absence.

"Eric, can we stop by Bill's while we're out? I want to take him this poinsettia."

"Oh yes, no evening would be complete without seeing Compton," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Baby, please." I knew that he would never admit it, but he loved it when I called him endearing little nicknames like Baby, Honey and Darling. His smile nearly melted the slushy frost.

"Fine, lover. Let's go see Bill," he acquiesced. Eric may never truly like Bill, but his respect for the ailing vampire had risen since the Fae war.

Bon Temps rarely sees snow, but the finest frost had settled, and we left footprints as we travelled across the old graves to the Civil War home that Bill was reoccupying.

"Sookie!" Bill declared with joy as he opened the door. He drew me into a weak hug, still feeling the effects of his silver poisoning. Eric walked slowly into the house, right behind me. With less joy, Bill greeted him, "Eric."

"Bill. How are you this evening? On the mend, I trust?"

"Please come in, and have a seat. I was just completing my tree." The sight of a large Christmas tree situated by a roaring fire was a welcome, albeit strange sight in the home of a hundred-plus-year-old vampire.

"Bill, we can't stay long. We're going for our own tree in a bit," I told him warmly. He still flinched whenever I spoke of my relationship to Eric, and the "our" had caused him a little pain. Bill was no angel, however. He left me for his maker Lorena, who ended up nearly torturing him to final death. I saved his butt that time. But then I found out that the whole reason he ever sought me was on orders from the former queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne LeClerq. Bill knew that we would never be involved that way again, but I guess he would always hope.

"It is lovely, Sookie," he said placing the plant at the foot of his beautifully decorated Christmas tree. "Thank you."

"And Bill, remember; Amelia and I are making dinner on Christmas night. You are welcome to come; we would all love to see you there." I felt, through my bond, that not _all _of us would love to see him there, but Eric remained silent.

"If I am feeling well enough, I will be happy to attend," Bill said, taking my hand and kissing it as we headed for the door. I barely noticed the cool grin he gave to Eric upon these words. Rivals to the end it would seem.

Moments later we were walking through the woods. Eric now had his arm around my shoulder, and I knew it was not only to warm me but to let anyone in the vicinity know that I was indeed his. Sometimes I protested at his marking his territory but in truth, I myself had been guilty of staking a similar claim during our time together. I may be a Southern lady at the insistence of my deceased grandmother, but her blood ran strongly through my veins, and Hale women took care of what was theirs.

I was lost in thought about my Viking when he broke into my reverie.

"Sookie, I think that I have found our tree." I love that he called it "our tree."

It was a lovely, tall Spruce pine-- that knowledge came from a high school forestry class. We spent so much time outdoors in that class that I was able to actually learn something since I could walk away from the endless stream of thoughts that I was unable to shield normally. I am a telepath, and school was difficult for me because of my little "gift." But I am very intelligent, thank you very much, because of my love of reading, my word-of-the-day calendar and a little self education. But that is off topic…

"Oh, Eric. It is so beautiful. Yes, this is it. But… I forgot the axe," I began to whine; I did not relish the idea of walking back through the cold for an axe.

"_I_ did not forget the axe, Sookie. I had it the whole time," he told me, smiling his blinding smile. I had not noticed it somehow strapped to his broad back, complete with a leather sheath. He approached the tree but before he took his first swing, he stopped.

"You know, in my human life, we too decorated a tree. We placed gifts and offerings to the tree gods to ask them to return in the spring. I haven't thought back to that in hundreds of years." He lifted the axe and with vampiric speed proceeded to cut the massive tree in a perfectly straight cut. He hoisted the tree effortlessly over one shoulder. He replaced the axe in the sling that he wore, and took my hand with his free one. We walked in companionable silence back to my house.

It seemed that his mood had lightened with the standing of the tree. I had gone into the kitchen and popped a large bowl of popcorn. Amelia and I had already washed a ton of cranberries. I was going to decorate the tree the way that Gran and Jason and I had when we were little. I remember that we would spend so much time stringing popcorn and cranberries, always ending up with more berries than popcorn as the majority of that was devoured by Jason. Well, I didn't imagine that Eric would be eating much popcorn this evening.

I sat in her old chair, with the two bowls on the side table next to me. I had a needle and a long length of thread. Eric sat on the floor at my feet with his own needle and thread. I stopped several times to watch his large hands thread alternating kernels of popcorn and cranberries. I was amazed at the agility of his hands. Honestly, was there anything that this man couldn't do? I guess he felt that, because at that moment he knotted the end of his already full string and stood to his full, glorious height. He threw the strand on the tree unceremoniously and sauntered back over to me. He held out his hand and pulled me to my feet as well. Taking my face into his hands, he kissed me passionately. I reciprocated (a Word of the Day from last week) and before long, both of us had roaming hands.

We began staggering towards the hallway to my room. He was carrying me, and I was straddling his waist. I will never figure out how we were able to make it down the hallway, with the non-stop kissing on the way. I had already pulled his black t-shirt over his well-defined chest and long, golden locks and thrown it—somewhere. Oh well, I would find it later. He pushed open the slightly ajar door with his foot, and I was on my back on the bed in no time. I had forgotten my surprise. He was beginning to undress me, when he noticed.

"Lover, I cannot see the moonlight. For that matter, I can't see your windows at all. What did you do?"

I had purchased foam board, black felt and black duct tape and blocked out any and all light into my bedroom. I was tired of Eric retiring to the hidey hole at dawn.

"I want to wake up beside you in the morning," I told him shyly. "I hate waking up and not seeing you lying beside me. Is it okay?"

We had never actually told each other how we felt. But I knew without a doubt that I was completely in love with the thousand year-old Viking. The coward that I am refused to be the first to say so. He looked up and saw that I had managed to get the room light tight. I even had a towel by the door to stuff underneath.

"I will be at your side when you wake up. But you are not going to sleep right now, I hope."

He kissed me right below the ear and trailed kisses down my neck. His hands traveled down my collarbone to the front clasp of the lacy pink bra I had been wearing. He fumbled with the clasp for a second, before deciding to give up on it and ripped the bra apart. (This was a shame because I had really liked that bra, but at that moment I could have cared less.) My ample breasts spilled forth, and he ran his hand across the underside of the left one. He meticulously ignored the nipple, tracing rings on the roundness of the breast. I was moaning already from sheer anticipation. His mouth had found its way to the right breast while he was doing this. He kissed the entire breast once again, forsaking the hardness of the nipple. I was gasping. I wanted it so badly, and he knew it. Finally, he slowly dragged his tongue across the tip of my breast. It was like an electric jolt went through my body.

I moaned exquisitely and the sound of this caused his fangs to descend fully. He grazed my areola with the tips of his fangs. His other hand was rolling and tweaking my nipple into a harder little peak. He rolled and rubbed like this, all the while teasing the other one with his tongue and fangs. His expertise almost made me cum more than once. Each time he sensed my approaching climax, he would stop for a moment.

"Lover, I promise you that will happen. Soon and many times, but not now," he said wickedly.

His right hand left my breast and trailed down my flat stomach, all the way down to the place I wanted him the most. He traced the lines of my folds with his fingers. I was already more than ready for him but the delicious slowness of his movement was only adding to my excitement. He slid one long finger into my hot center, and then another. He brought them slowly in and out, and again. The lengthy digits rubbed against my g-spot, inducing inward convulsions. With his finger, he teased my clitoris. The change of the speed never allowed my body to become accustomed to the feeling. I could feel my first orgasm rock through me. He threw my hands above my head and he grabbed both wrists with one hand.

"Sookie, I want to watch you as you cum for me." I looked into his eyes, this was his thing. He continued to tease, and when it finally happened, I shook violently. My legs went numb, and I was gasping for air. My climax came harder than I thought possible. I tried to roll myself on top of him. Yeah, right.

"No, Sookie. I am not through with you yet." He slid down my bed and disappeared. It didn't take long to figure out where he was. I felt his tongue drag across the folds of my vagina, at a snail's pace, but it incited within me a desperate scream. He plunged another finger inside of me while his tongue lapped over and over again at my nub. I bucked against him. He slid his free arm under my hips and held me to him. There was no escape, as if I ever wanted to escape this ecstatic torture. I reached my climax quickly this time. During my third orgasm, his tongue left my clit and wandered over to my thigh. I knew what was coming. Eric licked my leg and just as my orgasm hit me the hardest, he bit and drew deeply from my thigh. This sent me over the moon.

"OH, MY GOD, ERIC!!!" I was so thankful that Amelia was not here. I screamed so loudly, that I would be surprised if Bill didn't hear me bellow out. I knew Eric felt this through the bond because as he drank I could feel him shake with laughter from deep inside of him. I could not laugh, I was flying. Eric drank deeper than he had in a long time.

When he finally came up, he laid his impressive length along the top of me. He looked me directly in the eyes, and I could see the smallest amount of my blood on the edge of his mouth. I reached up and grabbed his head and pulled him down to me. I ran my tongue along the edge of his mouth and tasted my own blood. This took the Viking by surprise, and I knew this was my chance.

I flipped him onto his back and straddled him. He did not protest. I began to kiss his neck and chest, stopping long enough to gently bite his nipple. I got what I wanted at this point, something I doubt any other woman had ever gotten from the statuesque Viking.

"Please, Sookie. Please…" he begged me in a ragged voice.

I trailed my hand down to his rock hard Gracious Plenty and though he did not need to breathe, he gasped audibly. I stroked the awesome length a few times, eliciting a low growl from deep in his chest. He had his hands on my hips, desperately trying to direct me to the member in question. I gave in and positioned myself above his towering gift. I slid down slowly, and he threw his head back. I couldn't resist.

"No, lover, look at me," I told him amongst my own moans. This was simply too much for him. He took control of the whole situation, directing my hips up and down along his cock. He pumped faster and faster; I could feel his ending building as mine began. I bent down as low as I dared, fearing the loss of him in the process. I placed my mouth on his nipple and bit down, hard. His thick, warm blood broke through the surface, and I greedily lapped it up. His orgasm was massive and sustained my own for longer than usual. I drank and drank of his thousand year-old blood. He yelled something in a language I didn't understand, but I would like to imagine it was something like, "Oh God Sookie, you are the most wonderful thing I have ever known. You Goddess, you angel, oh Sookie!!"

Afterwards, I lay in his strong arms. He trailed his fingers up and down my arm. I was completely satisfied. I was reveling in the glorious soreness below my belly button when he turned my face to him.

"Goddess, Angel? Lover, you are those and so much more." I felt my deep blush, which caused him to laugh loud and hard. I loved his laughter; it was the most natural thing I could imagine. The last thing I remember him saying was, "Sleep now, my sweet Sookie. I will be here when you awake. Sookie, I…."

When I woke up the next morning, I had to rely on the clock to tell me what time it was. There was no light in the room at all. Still, nothing is fool-proof and I glanced over at Eric. He was lying dead to the world beside me. But his perfect skin was untouched. The clock read ten in the morning. I smiled and tousled his beautiful hair before climbing out of bed. I threw away the remainder of the pink bra and began to get dressed for my day. It was Christmas Eve. Remembering that I had to be at work at twelve o'clock, I laid my Merlotte's long-sleeved shirt and black slacks on the bed. Then I went in to take a long, hot shower, happily reminiscing about the events of the night before. When my shower was over, I brushed my blonde hair and dried it, securing it with a black hair band into a high ponytail on top of my head.

When I walked into the kitchen, Amelia was sitting at the table with two cups of steaming coffee. "I heard your shower turn off, so I thought I would have coffee ready for you." _So I guess the light-proofing worked on your windows because I see a certain Corvette is still parked out back._

"Yes, it worked. It was amazing to see him lying right next… Oh, I'm sorry Amelia. I didn't mean to do that." She didn't like it when I picked thoughts out of her head. But she smiled, a genuine smile, and replied, "That's alright—this time." But we both knew it would happen again. I had an English muffin with Amelia and asked about her night.

"Well, actually… and don't get mad, okay? Since Eric did not need the hidey hole today, I sort of lent it to Pam. We got a little carried away ourselves," she blushed. Pam was Eric's child and Amelia's partner of sorts, I guess. Whatever made her smile was fine by me. I so seldom saw it since Tray had died.

"No problem. So what are your plans for today?"

"I am going to finish decorating the tree, if you don't mind. I can see you and Eric got a lot done on that." She laughed and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "And I have a few more decorations to tweak."

"Tweak? What do you mean tweak?" Amelia was a very good witch, an excellent witch actually, until she experimented. Bob, her former lover/cat can attest to that. I didn't know how much "tweaking' my old house could take.

"Relax, just some ideas Octavia gave me. For instance, see the mistletoe above the door there? I used an enlargement charm on it. The big stuff is the prettiest, but it grows at the top of trees. I only know one person who can easily fly to the top of a tree, and unfortunately he was busy with some blonde last night." She smiled and took another sip of coffee.

I tried to imagine Eric flying to the top of a tree to pull mistletoe for Amelia. I giggled out loud. Rather than give a comeback, I said, "Well, it is large. I love it. There should be plenty of kissing under it tomorrow evening."

I arrived at Merlotte's five minutes early, because I wanted to remind Sam Merlotte, the bar's owner and one of my best friends/shape shifter, of dinner the following night.

"Sure cher, I will be there. Umm, do you mind if I bring a friend?" He was blushing redder than a summer tomato.

"The more the merrier."

Work was uneventful. I heard the ramblings of the patrons checking off Christmas lists in their heads, lamenting the fact that Bon Temps didn't have much in the way of shopping and that they would have to go to Shreveport. There were a few Fellowship of the Sun assholes in a corner booth, but evidentially Christmas had taken them from their main mission today as well. Just to be sure, I lowered my shields and listened to them.

_I hope all those blasted toys she got them don't need batteries. Last year I spent more on batteries than I did on the gosh darned gifts. Next year, they are getting books plain and simple. They are getting too old for…._

I quit listening. If they had an agenda it was not for me today, soon I was sure-- but not today. I got off at seven o'clock and hurried home to greet Eric when he woke up. In the winter the sun goes down much earlier. I was not surprised to see him up and about. I was surprised however, that he was in the kitchen helping Amelia cook. I know that he knew I was there, but he was very intent on the chore that Amelia had assigned him. With a frosting bag in hand, he drew little eyes on snowmen cookies and buttons down the front. She was watching him like a hawk, but became distracted when something began boiling over. With supernatural speed, he went back and drew little frosting fangs on each snowman.

"Done, witch! I need to go see to my bonded now." He smiled his _Eric smile_ at her, and we headed to the living room. I was tired, not from a hard day at work but from a boring day. Eric sat on the couch and I snuggled into him. Amelia had _It's a Wonderful Life_ playing on the television. We watched for a few minutes, as I enjoyed him absent-mindedly playing with my hair. I had forgotten about the decorating Amelia said she was going to do. I looked over to the handsome tree that Eric had cut for me.

Amelia had outdone herself. There was more popcorn and cranberries strung around the tree and candles. She had placed some sort of enchantment on the candles that encased the flame, in order to protect the tree and my home from (yet another) fire. There were dozens of glass ornaments on the tree and on the very top was an angel of epic beauty whose wings were actually fanning back and forth. It was simply stunning. There were stockings hung on the mantelpiece for each guest for tomorrow's dinner. And each was handmade by Amelia for the traits of each guest. When had she found time to do this?

Each stocking had an embroidered name. Mine was cranberry colored and had dozens of tiny faeries embroidered into it. She made one embellished with some type of faux animal skin with a fur top for Eric, very Viking-esque. Sam's was simple with a bone of the front bearing the name "Dean," and there were even ones for Pam and Bill. Bill's was a Confederate grey with gold tassels on the top. Pam's was simple, a pastel pink with seed pearls scattered across it. That crafty witch had left no one out. The last thing I noticed was the large amount of mistletoe which made me remember the image of Eric flying up for the plant. I giggled, which left questions on Eric's angelic face.

"Nothing, baby. Just remembering something Amelia and I were talking about." He grinned and then did something quite unexpected. He faked a yawn, stretched out his long arms around my shoulders and said, "Well, lover, I don't know about you. But I am ready to beat the hay, is that right?"

"Hit the hay? Okay, you do look sleepy. I should get you to bed right away," I replied coyly. I stood up and took his hand, and he theatrically moved like he was dozing on his feet. Amelia had come into the living room at this point and rolled her eyes at the two of us.

"Loved the snowmen, Eric. Very, ummm, --you. "

"Anytime I can be of service, Amelia," he replied with a bow.

I led him to the mistletoe, determined to share this tradition with him posthaste. I stood under the leafy plant and looked up at him expectantly.

He did nothing.

"Eric, you're supposed to kiss me. We're under the mistletoe." There I went, whining again.

"Lover, I do not need a plant to urge me to cover you with kisses. But as it is tradition…" At this he bent down and picked me up, holding me closely to him and kissing me for all it was worth.

"My people believed that mistletoe had the power to bring back the dead."

"Really? Wow, well I don't need it then, because I have never felt more alive than when I am with you."

Amelia made a mock gagging sound. "Hey, I thought Eric was exhausted and needed to get to bed. Maybe you should do that now." The tone of her voice was jovial, but the urgency I felt to do just that was creeping up.

"One more kiss, lover, and we really must call it a night." Eric once more laid his lips on mine and for a moment, I felt like I could have been standing on the land of the country of his youth. I envisioned Eric dressed for battle in soft suede and lots of fur, wielding a heavy weapon. I kissed him with the passion of a displaced wife watching her beloved husband, hoping for his safe return. I snapped back into reality when his lips left mine.

Once we were in the bedroom, he was all business. He slowly undressed me, and then began to take off his own clothes. He did this in extreme slow motion, making sure to give me quite the little show. He purposefully turned around as he removed his jeans, giving me a shot of my favorite asset—his wonderful little ass.

"Sookie," he spoke as he sauntered over to where I stood, "Yield to me, lover."

I melted. "Anything, Eric."

He pushed me back onto the bed. There was simply no time for niceties. We were both hungry for it. He kissed me hard on the lips, the neck, and the chest. He sucked a nipple into his mouth and ran a hand down to see if I was ready. I was.

He laid his body across mine, balancing his weight on his own arms and pushed into me. Just the tip at first. No matter how often we made love, it was always a shock to feel his size press into me. He pulled back and I was shattered to feel him leave….

"Lover, are you ready?" I shook my head furiously as he quickly pushed into me all the way. He began a rhythm, pounding in and out of me. His eyes never left mine as he continued to push in and out of me. Every so often he would pull nearly all the way out and then go full force back in. I could feel both of our orgasms beginning. He wordlessly placed his wrist at my mouth and when I felt his fangs graze my breast I bit, and he did so at the same time. As we drank from one another we came together. I moaned loudly even with his wrist in my mouth. He continued to work in and out of me, finally collapsing on top of me.

"That was amazing, my love."

"Uh-huh," was all I could utter.

He turned onto his back and pulled me into his arms. I laid my head on his cold chest desperately trying to regain my composure. Then he actually yawned.

"Eric… you got me to bed. You don't need to pretend to yawn anymore."

"Sookie, that was not fake. I don't know what it was, but it was real. Come to think of it, I am actually tired. Satisfied but tired."

My mind wandered to a million places, and I knew he could sense my anguish. I was thinking what could be wrong with him? Was he sick? Was it even possible for him to be sick? What time was it? It was only ten o'clock, sunrise wasn't for hours. I was freaking out. He lay calmly beside me; could he not feel my anguish through the bond? I pondered this for a few more moments, when I heard a sound I had never before heard from Eric.

He was snoring, gently. Eric was fast asleep beside me. His chest was even rising and falling as if he needed air. It was time to calm down. I had learned more about our world in the last few years, and I was certainly no expert on vampires. Maybe this was to be expected. I found the sound of his snores somehow soothing, and I fell asleep with my head on his marble chest. Eric and I had never slept together before, really slept. Oh well, there is a first time for everything.

I woke with the Christmas sun shining in my eyes. I sat up and began to stretch luxuriously……WAIT!! The sunlight! I panicked as I looked beside me for my vampire. He was not there. I was up and out of bed, nearly running to the door.

"Where are you going, lover?" Eric asked me. He was standing in the window, shirtless, directly in the path of the sun. I turned to look at the clock, it was eight a.m. I looked back at Eric, his beautiful lips turned up into a smile. And then, I hit the floor.

"Sookie, wake up. Sookie, can you hear me?" I heard Eric coaxing me into consciousness and felt a cool cloth at my forehead. "Eric, the sunlight. You have to hide. What are you doing awake?" My voice was a ragged whisper.

"Lover, I do not understand the meaning of this, either. I woke up this morning and realized that I was up after the dawn. I had the strangest urge to use the bathroom—and I did. This has not happened to me in almost a thousand years. I came back into the room and decided to test fate, so I pulled just the corner of your window covers open. Nothing happened, so I pulled them down completely. The sunlight flooded the room and fell upon you. I have never seen anything so beautiful. I cried, and the tears were not bloody. I don't know how this has happened but Sookie, I am alive. Really alive. Here, feel this…" he said as he reached out to grab my hand. He placed it over his heart, and I could feel a steady rhythm.

Eric, my centuries-old Viking, was breathing next to me. In the next minute, we were up and off the floor and back in the bed. He was everywhere all at once. I had only made love during the day one time before, and that was with Quinn, but the were-tiger was definitely no Eric.

His lips covered every part of my body with kisses. I could feel the heat rolling off of him. When he finally entered me, I could hear him pant with the exertion. He made love like a mad man, pushing into me with such force that it almost hurt, but in an extremely good way. We came together and when he fell against me, I could hear him gasping for air. Every time he inhaled he took in a full register of air, savoring it like it was the most delicious thing he had ever experienced.

We lay in bed for a minute, then he jumped up. "I smell coffee. It smells amazing."

He took off for the door, seemingly determined to get a cup of coffee.

"Baby…" I stopped him, "you might want to put on some pants." He looked down at his nakedness and back to the door. I knew my old Eric was still there because for a moment he simply did not care. But he grudgingly walked over to the bed and pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. I simply put on my bathrobe.

He reached the kitchen first. Amelia was there having breakfast. I heard her nearly choke on the sip of coffee she had just taken. "Oh my God, Eric!! What are you… What is this…?"

"Amelia, I don't know how this happened, but Eric fell asleep last night and this morning he is alive. I mean really alive. Have you ever heard of this happening before?"

Eric was across the room filling the largest mug I had with coffee—black. He took a big drink and then winced, a huge smile forming on his face. The coffee was hot and had burned his mouth. He didn't care, he drank anyway.

"Lover, do you have anything I can eat? I am starving."

Absent-mindedly I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a True Blood. Then I thought better of it.

"Sweetheart, sit down at the table. I will fix you something to eat. Amelia can you see what you can learn about this? Is there anyone you can call?"

"I don't know much about vampire lore; I can call Octavia, though, she may know something." She immediately ran up the stairs.

I imagined that a six-foot five-inch Viking could probably eat a lot of food. I knew Jason could put away a ton of food, so I fried several eggs, cooked a pound of bacon, and made biscuits. The biscuits were from a can which we kept around for in-a-pinch situations, but I didn't think Eric would mind. I placed the plate of food in front of him, along with another cup of coffee and a tall glass of orange juice. I ate very little myself, as I found my appetite was directly affected by my concern for Eric's well being.

"Sookie, is that all you are going to eat? This is the single most delicious meal I have ever eaten, with the exception of your blood; although, no offense, but right now the idea of blood is not appealing." He continued to eat the rest of his meal in silence. How could he talk? Talking would stop the progress of the food making its way to his mouth. I smiled in spite of myself. How many times had I dreamed of waking up beside Eric and sharing a morning ritual just like right now?

Amelia came down the stairs, flushed with excitement. She had reached Octavia and discovered that although it was extremely rare, she had heard of a vampire returning to humanity before. It was caused by a spell of unspoken desire that only required a catalyst of belief. I turned the idea over and over in my head. Sure, I had never spoken to Eric about this predicament, but I had surely wished for it. But a catalyst? What exactly did that mean?

"What do you mean—a catalyst?" I asked, gripping my morning coffee like a life preserver.

"A catalyst is basically something that sets a process into motion," she quipped.

"I know what the word means, but what could this catalyst be?" I didn't mean to be testy with her, but I hated to feel as if my intelligence was being called into question.

"Isn't it obvious?" Eric asked, finally surfacing from his meal. He drained the glass of juice in one long drink. "I spoke to you about my beliefs last night. The mistletoe. My people believed that it had the power to bring one back from the dead. Last night, I was dead. Today, I am very much alive." _And if you will excuse us Amelia, I think this issue could be dealt with a little later. I want Sookie again and again and again… I will never tire of holding her. Who knows how long this enchantment will hold, and I want to test my limitations again._

"Eric, I hardly think that now is the time to be thinking about going to bed again…" I replied. I realized within a second, just as Eric and Amelia had, that I had heard his thoughts. I was shocked, thrilled, mortified and excited all at once. "I just did that, I just read your mind!" I exclaimed, throwing one hand over my mouth.

"Do it again." Eric was like a little kid with a new toy. It didn't take a telepath to tell what he wanted. I gave in this time. We sprinted down the hall. I was elated to know that although he was a human man, he had lost none of his endurance. He screamed in his native tongue as he hit his climax. We lay once again in bed. I twirled my fingers in the blonde hair on his perfect chest, stopping every now and then to feel his heart beat again.

"What did you say just then?" I figured now was as good a time as any to ask him to translate.

"I said, 'My lover, you are MINE!! And I am YOURS!!'" he replied. A knock at the door broke the silence.

"Guys, I am sorry but we have a lot to do. Octavia said that most spells of this nature tend to have the Cinderella effect. Death in itself is an extraordinary form of magic, death is finite. This won't last forever. So, do you want to cancel the Christmas dinner?"

"No, don't cancel the dinner," Eric replied. "I want to go ahead with the Christmas plans. I am not a Christian, but I have received gifts unlike anything I could imagine. And… I want to see the look on Compton's…" He stopped when I gave him a half glare, quickly amending his statement. "I want to greet all of our friends while in a human form before my coach turns back into a pumpkin." He grinned at me, and I smiled back. Oh, Sookie.

The first guest arrived fifteen minutes after sunset. Eric ran from the kitchen and jumped the couch to answer the door.

"Bill, won't you please come in?" He extended his hand to Bill, even though vampires don't shake hands. Bill was confused but reluctantly shook Eric's hand.

"Eric, what have you done?"

"I have done nothing; my Sookie's magic granted me life for a short time. Merry Christmas, Bill!!"

Each time the door was knocked upon, Eric ran to greet the visitor. The reactions were much the same. Sam and Bill were shell-shocked, although I thought Sam took it better. He was visibly wary but seemed happy after a while. He had brought a date, Tiffany, and she was some sort of shape-shifter and very beautiful. Pam would have died laughing, if she weren't already dead.

"Well, Master, I see you have gone over to the dark side, or the light side. Oh, I am so confused." It was no secret that Pam preferred humans to vampires sexually, and was unintentionally showing a little fang. I fought back my jealousy; she would never try anything with Eric, right? I didn't hear myself, though everyone else did.

"MINE!" I told Pam and then warmly hugged her like nothing had happened. She threw her head back and laughed while Eric wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him, the most natural feeling taking me over.

"Okay," Amelia drifted back into the room, agenda in hand. "Let's open some gifts."

"I want to go first," I said. I had worked very hard on Eric's gift. "Here baby, open this."

He tried to open the paper gently, sliding a long finger under the side of the gift. "Baby, I am not saving paper," I quipped as I helped him rip the remainder of the wrapping from the gift. It was a photo album filled with pictures of me—in the sun. I swear it was not to be conceited, but I knew that he would love this. I had some help from Amelia. There were pictures of me sunbathing, gardening outside, a few artsy ones Amelia insisted we take of me on the old tire swing in the back yard, and one of me on my brother's dock I saved from happier days. I had laid the album outside each day, hoping to trap the scent of the sun in the leather. I wished fervently I had given him his gift this morning, so I could add a few pictures of us together in the sunshine, but what was done was done.

Eric was speechless. I let him have his moment, while we continued the gift-giving tradition. Bill liked the Wii game I had gotten him, it was Mario Kart. He laughed like a little kid. Pam received a beautiful set of pearls and matching earrings. This gift was from both Amelia and me, as we had gotten the jewelry during an impromptu trip to New Orleans. They had not been cheap. She gave us both lovely silk scarves; I just hoped that I could keep this one safe from staking or shifter bitches. Bill had enrolled me in a Rose of the Month club; he insisted that despite my certainty that my green thumb was non-existent, I had tended to Gran's flowers beautifully.

Sam was blushing as he gave all the ladies presents, including Pam, a gift certificate to an online boutique. He unapologetically explained that he had no idea what to buy a woman for Christmas. I thought it was a lovely gesture, but was thrilled to see that Tiffany thought he knew exactly what to get a woman for Christmas as she ran her finger across a thin band of silver and a delicate diamond. Was Sam engaged? I almost asked when I realized that Gran would have thought that was terribly rude. I would get my answer somehow.

Eric was still sitting there flipping through his picture book. The whole room had turned at this moment to see what he had gotten me, unaware that this day had been a better gift than any I had ever received.

"Sookie, take a walk with me?" He stood up and gave me his hand to help me up.

"You two don't be gone too long. I am putting supper on the table in a few moments," Amelia called after us.

"Yes, Mother," Eric said, smiling broadly. What was with this new camaraderie between my Viking and my best friend?

We only walked to the front porch. He stopped me and turned me into him.

"This is far enough. I only wanted to give you my present alone."

He handed me a cream-colored envelope with _Sookie _written on it in his graceful scrawl. I looked into his eyes for a moment before I opened the envelope and took out the stationery within.

_Lover, _

_In all my time walking this earth, I have never felt the way I do when I am with you. When I first laid eyes on you in the bar, I knew that you were something special. I did not know what you were yet, though. Through all of our adventures, or should I say misadventures, I have come to realize that my interest in you is so much more than a simple need of your talents. I have found myself experiencing feelings that I had not had since before I last drew breath. _

_I often think of how you took me in, when I was scared and needy. You clothed me and nurtured me. Then there was the bedroom and the shower and the kitchen and …. Well, you get the point. When I exposed Bill to you, I thought that my heart would break to see your tears. I felt a new kind of jealousy arise inside of me when I saw you with the tiger. But then you accepted our bond, or at least I felt that you accepted our bond. _

_You are stubborn. I am stubborn. But we complement each other more perfectly than any I have ever known. I would gladly meet my final death for you, Sookie Stackhouse. _

_I am trying to tell you that I love you, Sookie. With all of my heart and with my soul, if I still have one, I love you. _

_Forever Yours, _

_E._

_P.S. I said it first, I win! _

I was bawling. I could feel the sting of the air on my wet cheeks. I looked up to see that Eric had disappeared.

"I am down here, Sookie." I looked down to see my towering Viking down on one knee. I shuddered, and I cried some more.

"I understand this is how human men do this, as Pam informed me. And this is as human as I will ever be. I love you Sookie, I want to take care of you. Always. Sookie Stackhouse, will you marry me?" He held in his hand a small black box with a white gold band. In the center of the ring was a vivid blue diamond, offset by two smaller accent diamonds. He took the ring out and placed it on the appropriate finger of my left hand. I still had not spoken. He stood up, the slightest question on his face. I could see his breath in the December air.

"Sookie?" Well humanity certainly hadn't affected his patience.

_Tell him yes, we can be happy together._

Where did that come from? I looked all around me. This was not a voice I recognized. When I finally made it back to his gaze, I saw his proposal hanging in his eyes.

"Eric, you are mine. I have always loved you, I just didn't know it. Of course, I will marry you. I want to be with you forever."

He lifted me into an earth-shattering kiss and spun me around and around. On our second revolution, I noticed that my window was filled with the faces of our friends, eavesdropping on the momentous occasion. Even Bill seemed touched. I turned back to Eric. He was smiling at me widely, and I could see that the spell was wearing off. In his excitement at my answer, he was showing fang.

"Lover, let's go inside. It is much too cold for you out here."

I followed him, as I intended to follow him all of my days.


End file.
